From the President’s Desk – Merry Christmas

On behalf of the Catholic Writers Guild Board, I’d like to wish every Guild member a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!

It’s been an exciting and busy year for the Guild. Our membership tipped 500. We held a successful live conference in New Jersey with nearly 100 attendees. Our Seal of Approval committee evaluated 78 books, the most we’ve ever evaluated in any year since 2009. Our new Facebook group page has become quite popular. Our blog continues to receive regular posts from members.

Congratulations to all members who won awards, published a book or accomplished other writing achievements in 2013!

We have also had our share of challenges: our website was hacked and out of commission for several long days; luckily, we were able to get a temporary site going (thanks, Dave and Ann!) and we hope to have our new site up and running in the new year. We were also inundated with books for the Seal of Approval which made it necessary to shut the program down for one quarter. Our online conference had to be cancelled because of unforeseen events.

Our greatest challenge recently has been the need for more volunteers. I’ll be writing to Guild members in the coming weeks asking volunteers to step forward to help on various committees. A non-profit organization such as ours (especially one that is growing) needs many volunteers to ensure success. It is also one of the ways that we can keep our membership fee minimal.

As you celebrate this holy season with your family and friends, I ask you to keep me in prayer and I will do the same for you.

As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any concerns or questions: president(at)catholicwritersguild.com.

In Jesus and Mary,

Ellen Gable Hrkach
President, Catholic Writers Guild